Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Maldives unrest: President Nasheed resigns amid protests

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed resigned today following weeks of
public protests over his controversial order to arrest a senior judge.
The country's Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan is set to take over
in what is seen as a political settlement, reportedly negotiated by the
Army.

Sources said Mr Waheed will be sworn in this afternoon as
the head of an all-party government called the National Government of
Maldives. Mr Waheed emerged as a consensus candidate as protests in the
country escalated, sources said. They came to a head today when hundreds
of policemen started demonstrating in the capital, Male, after
officials ordered them to withdraw protection for opposition supporters
who were protesting. The mutinous police took over the state television
broadcasting station, joining opposition protesters calling for
President Mohamed Nasheed to step down.

A little later, Mr
Nasheed used an address to the nation on state television to announce
that he was stepping down and was immediately whisked away amid high
security to the Presidential palace. He has been described as being
under "military protection". Senior Army officer Brigadier Ahmed Shiyam
earlier told reporters that Mr Nasheed had agreed to step down and hand
over the presidency to his Vice-President. The military stepped in after
the police rebelled.

The new government, sources said, can continue at least till 2013, when elections are due.

Mr
Nasheed's resignation comes after days of protests in this Indian
Ocean country of lavish beach resorts. He fell out of public favor after
he ordered the military to arrest Abdulla Mohamed, the chief judge of
the Criminal Court. The arrest came after the judge ordered the release
of a government critic, calling his arrest illegal. The vice president,
Supreme Court, Human Rights Commission, Judicial Services Commission and
the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
have all called for Mr Mohamed to be released. The judge is still in
custody.

This marks a stunning crash for Mr Nasheed, a former
human rights campaigner and former political prisoner, who was elected
in 2008 when the Maldives staged its first democratic presidential
election, unseating the long-serving autocratic regime of Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom. He is also an environmental celebrity, travelling the world to
persuade governments to combat the climate change that could send sea
levels rising and inundate his archipelago nation.

The Maldives, a
country of 1,192 Indian Ocean islands scattered across the equator, is
famous for its upmarket holiday resorts and hotels that cater for
honeymooning couples and high-end travellers.